A Day in the Life
by Pinkbowbunny
Summary: A short Beatles-themed companion ficlet to "The Calamity, the Crossroads and the Pantheon of Lovers". Iluka confesses to losing the ring.


O' course Jude noticed something was helter-skelter with his beloved island princess and high priestess Iluka the last few days... But he kept mum about it. Let it be. She'd come to him in time and tell him exactly what was bothering her and what he should do to try and help. If he pressed her any earlier, she'd likely just tell him to mind his own and leave her alone.

So he just sat back after his extra hard day o' workin' and strummed a bit on his guitar, smiling a little to himself, knowin'.

"...Hey Jude..."

He looked up, smiled at his wife serenely, put the guitar aside, and patted the spot next to his on the bench. The spot with the extra fluffy padded pink pillow that stood out starkly with the black wood the bench was made of.

She climbed onto her pillow, and nestled up next to his big strong left arm. But she didn't look up at him like she normally did - She looked down. "I... I feel like I should tell you something. I probably should have told you a while ago..."

He wasn't worried at all. Well... He wasn't very worried. Not especially... "Go on."

Despite his urging, she stayed quiet for a while, and he let her. Finally after a few moments passed by, she blurted it all out, out of the blue. "Oh, Jude, I'm so sorry! This ring on my finger, it's not the original you first gave me! It's not our 'Strawberry Fields Forever' pink diamond, it's just a look-alike I bought because I lost the first one! I'm so sorry, I wore it out swimming just before the wedding and a fish took it right off my finger! I scrambled to get a replacement, I thought you'd call off the wedding if I didn't! I'm so sorry, I should have told you before we even got married, I shoulda-"

She was cut off by him suddenly holding up his palm to her serenely. She in turn hushed, and looked up at him curiously. He explained gently, "I wanna hold your hand..."

She let him, placing the slender palm with the false diamond upon it into his. He examined the stone. "...Yeah, I knew this was fake a long time ago. It's just the slightest degree of a fraction smaller than the one I mined out for you. But it's okay babe. In fact I wish you hadn't wasted your money on this silly bauble! I coulda just found you a new one even then, but now especially it would be no problem..." He suddenly smirked mysteriously, and looked away from her.

She blinked, intensely confused and curious. "Huh? Hey, what do you mean by that?"

He hummed in thought, pretending to play hard to get for a minute. "Hmm, I dunno... With how easy you lose things perhaps I shouldn't tell you about the new fortune I found the other day, I might just be saying Hello, Goodbye to it in a flash! Dig it?"

"Huuuuh?!" She poked him several times. "What? What the heck do you mean, fortune?"

"A pirate's fortune. Except now it's a cowboy-farmer's fortune!" He suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in, grinning. "I've got several large chests of gold and silver dubloons, several more large chests of rubies and amethysts and other assorted gemstones, and well, this last chest ain't so big, but it's all yours, baby. From me to you..."

He stole a quick kiss from her cheek before letting her go and diving down under the bench, where a small box made of pure gold, about the size of the average shoe-box, was waiting to be rediscovered. Iluka's eyes went wide and shined almost as brilliantly as the contents, for it was full of huge diamonds in various colors, including several much more impressive pink diamonds than the one laying lamely on her hand now.

He let her inspect the very impressive box for a full moment, then put it down between them, standing up. "Here comes the sun, babe. We're rich for life! So forget about that silly little bauble, give it to the lass down the lane for all I care. Oy, there's an idea - How about I build a street made of coins and call it Penny Lane! We've certainly got enough coin to do it now!"

Iluka's eyes spilled over with tears. The box of diamonds and dreams of riches were forgotten. She immediately leaped up and then into her husband's arms, who then began to twist and shout, spinning her around and around. Instinctively a little startled, she clung to him and cried out in apprehension, "Ah-! Don't let me down!"

He quickly lowered her back down and nuzzled her cheek. "Never, love..."

She nuzzled him back, but a bit more purposefully. They were definitely gonna come together, later that night...

And it wasn't because of the diamonds, even if Iluka had to admit that was pretty amazing too. But even more spectacular and impressive was this man of hers, working so hard for his good luck. But she worked hard too! And she proceeded to prove it to him in time, blessing him with with another pair of twins the next year, this time both girls. Since she named the last two, she let him name the newest ones. And of course he chose Eleanor and Lucy!


End file.
